![]() ![]() While their actual function still remains obscure, it has been suggested that ziggurats symbolized the primeval mound which the universe was thought to have been created upon, heavenly mountains, bridges between heaven and earth or celestial stairways between the gods and humans. They were thought to be a vertical bond between heaven and earth, the earth and the underworld, and a horizontal bond between the lands. Sumerian temples were believed to have had astrological significance. In lower Babylonia, it was known as ‘the house of the bond between heaven and earth’. ![]() In Babylon, it was revered as ‘the house of the foundation of heaven and earth’. The ziggurat at Til Barsip was called ‘the house of the seven directions of heaven and earth’. Their function as celestial mountains is manifested in the names given to these ancient religious structures. The ancients considered mountains to be the link between the heavens and earth for instance, Mount Olympus was home to the Greek pantheon. The word ziggurat is derived from the Babylonian ‘ziqqurratu’, meaning ‘mountain peak’ or ‘pinnacle’. Some of these architectural marvels still stand today. Ziggurats were a form of ancient Mesopotamian mud-brick temple: were common to the Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians from approximately 2200 until 500 BCE. ![]() Ziggurats were built for hundreds of years in various regions of the ancient Middle East. Ancient ziggurats were massive temple structures built in Ancient Mesopotamia to honor a deity. ![]()
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